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    <title>Home: Message List - Different ways to reach the customer!</title>
    <link>http://smallbusinessonlinecommunity.bankofamerica.com/community/forum/internetecommerce?view=discussions</link>
    <description>Most recent forum messages</description>
    <language>en</language>
    <pubDate>Sun, 06 Jul 2008 01:33:23 GMT</pubDate>
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    <dc:date>2008-07-06T01:33:23Z</dc:date>
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    <item>
      <title>Re: Different ways to reach the customer!</title>
      <link>http://smallbusinessonlinecommunity.bankofamerica.com/thread.jspa?messageID=30627&amp;amp;tstart=0#30627</link>
      <description>With todays technology and the internet at our finger tips (litereally). Businesses of all sizes with need to implement more creative ways to get our message across to our consumer base. Traditional communication methods consisted of:&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;b&gt;Face to Face&lt;/b&gt; (if you can catch your customer's attention w/out interrupting their work schedule)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;b&gt;Mail&lt;/b&gt; (if it doesn't get stacked in the "read this mail later" box&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;b&gt;By telephone&lt;/b&gt; (if you ever get off hold before your cell phone minutes run out for the month LoL)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;b&gt;Purchase incentives&lt;/b&gt; (not to thorough as you might only hear from your customer when they purchase and want the incentive)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;i&gt;But now you have:&lt;/i&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;b&gt;Text messaging&lt;/b&gt; (if you can distribute your cell number for business purposes)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;b&gt;Email&lt;/b&gt; EFFICTIVE (just make sure to use +read mail receipt+)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;b&gt;Ecards&lt;/b&gt; (you can design your own templates, upload them and send&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;b&gt;Video's&lt;/b&gt; (PowerPoint simple "Hello There" presentions, if you do it yourself it's cost effective, eye catching, and will get you remembered&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
There you go just a few ideas...&lt;br /&gt;</description>
      <pubDate>Sun, 06 Jul 2008 01:33:23 GMT</pubDate>
      <author>ELiTeMdeSiGNs</author>
      <guid>http://smallbusinessonlinecommunity.bankofamerica.com/thread.jspa?messageID=30627&amp;amp;tstart=0#30627</guid>
      <dc:date>2008-07-06T01:33:23Z</dc:date>
      <clearspace:dateToText>Jul 5, 2008 9:33 PM</clearspace:dateToText>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Re: Different ways to reach the customer!</title>
      <link>http://smallbusinessonlinecommunity.bankofamerica.com/thread.jspa?messageID=30090&amp;amp;tstart=0#30090</link>
      <description>Yes, a four year university and I graduated with a bachelors in science. Thank you</description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 30 Jun 2008 19:10:06 GMT</pubDate>
      <author>womensjournal</author>
      <guid>http://smallbusinessonlinecommunity.bankofamerica.com/thread.jspa?messageID=30090&amp;amp;tstart=0#30090</guid>
      <dc:date>2008-06-30T19:10:06Z</dc:date>
      <clearspace:dateToText>Jun 30, 2008 3:10 PM</clearspace:dateToText>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Re: Different ways to reach the customer!</title>
      <link>http://smallbusinessonlinecommunity.bankofamerica.com/thread.jspa?messageID=17693&amp;amp;tstart=0#17693</link>
      <description>&lt;b&gt;Tara, I like your answer&lt;/b&gt;, Where did you go to college??&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
From your bio "Our contributors become known as &amp;ldquo;experts&amp;rdquo; in their field, while providing readership with valued information about products, services and resources&lt;br /&gt;
available to them &amp;ndash; &lt;br /&gt;
a huge benefit from a FREE publication! Our publication format allows readers to gain an understanding of &amp;ldquo;who&amp;rdquo; the&lt;br /&gt;
contributor is &lt;br /&gt;
prior to making the first phone call.  &lt;br /&gt;
In essence the newspaper&lt;br /&gt;
becomes your referral and networking tool".&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;b&gt;This web site likes FREE&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;b&gt;Please post more, LUCKIEST&lt;/b&gt;</description>
      <pubDate>Wed, 20 Feb 2008 01:48:36 GMT</pubDate>
      <author>LUCKIEST</author>
      <guid>http://smallbusinessonlinecommunity.bankofamerica.com/thread.jspa?messageID=17693&amp;amp;tstart=0#17693</guid>
      <dc:date>2008-02-20T01:48:36Z</dc:date>
      <clearspace:dateToText>Feb 19, 2008 8:48 PM</clearspace:dateToText>
      <clearspace:replyCount>1</clearspace:replyCount>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Re: Different ways to reach the customer!</title>
      <link>http://smallbusinessonlinecommunity.bankofamerica.com/thread.jspa?messageID=17691&amp;amp;tstart=0#17691</link>
      <description>Good answer Carl. Yes the same question comes up again and again.&lt;br /&gt;
Different posts from different people and sometimes the answers have to repeat.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;b&gt;"Show don't tell"  is Great. I like it.&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;b&gt;LUCKIEST&lt;/b&gt;</description>
      <pubDate>Wed, 20 Feb 2008 01:42:53 GMT</pubDate>
      <author>LUCKIEST</author>
      <guid>http://smallbusinessonlinecommunity.bankofamerica.com/thread.jspa?messageID=17691&amp;amp;tstart=0#17691</guid>
      <dc:date>2008-02-20T01:42:53Z</dc:date>
      <clearspace:dateToText>Feb 19, 2008 8:42 PM</clearspace:dateToText>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Re: Different ways to reach the customer!</title>
      <link>http://smallbusinessonlinecommunity.bankofamerica.com/thread.jspa?messageID=17687&amp;amp;tstart=0#17687</link>
      <description>Have you identified your target market? Who are your customers? &lt;br /&gt;
Targeted marketing-The magic key in your marketing plan. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Advertising budget- How much is each potential customer worth to you? &lt;br /&gt;
After you determine the potential dollar amount each customer represents you can develop your return on investment strategy.&lt;br /&gt;
The strategy- How much money am I going to spend advertising and where am I going to advertise&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
 Track it! Trail it! Where did you spend money advertising ? Did it work? &lt;br /&gt;
Look for repeat advertisers because they may have a niche that works.   &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;p /&gt;
&lt;p /&gt;</description>
      <pubDate>Wed, 20 Feb 2008 01:33:30 GMT</pubDate>
      <author>womensjournal</author>
      <guid>http://smallbusinessonlinecommunity.bankofamerica.com/thread.jspa?messageID=17687&amp;amp;tstart=0#17687</guid>
      <dc:date>2008-02-20T01:33:30Z</dc:date>
      <clearspace:dateToText>Feb 19, 2008 8:33 PM</clearspace:dateToText>
      <clearspace:replyCount>2</clearspace:replyCount>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Re: Different ways to reach the customer!</title>
      <link>http://smallbusinessonlinecommunity.bankofamerica.com/thread.jspa?messageID=17008&amp;amp;tstart=0#17008</link>
      <description>You don't need to really advertise to reach your target audience.  Just offer them solid value, a taste of what you do, and they'll come.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I posted this a bit ago, but the same question comes up again and again and again.  the universal answer is this:&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
#1: Be relevant to what they're looking for&lt;br /&gt;
#2: Provide quality&lt;br /&gt;
#3: Become their resource.  Give them something for free which gets them a bit closer to their goals.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Show don't tell.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
the list of cliches goes on!&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I like to use the internet and press to pull this off.</description>
      <pubDate>Wed, 13 Feb 2008 18:40:58 GMT</pubDate>
      <author>CarlOrf00</author>
      <guid>http://smallbusinessonlinecommunity.bankofamerica.com/thread.jspa?messageID=17008&amp;amp;tstart=0#17008</guid>
      <dc:date>2008-02-13T18:40:58Z</dc:date>
      <clearspace:dateToText>Feb 13, 2008 1:40 PM</clearspace:dateToText>
      <clearspace:replyCount>1</clearspace:replyCount>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Re: Different ways to reach the customer!</title>
      <link>http://smallbusinessonlinecommunity.bankofamerica.com/thread.jspa?messageID=16849&amp;amp;tstart=0#16849</link>
      <description>Does this help?? &lt;br /&gt;
If your advertising&lt;br /&gt;
budget, assuming you even have one, is low to start with, blowing it all on a&lt;br /&gt;
single high-profile ad placement isn&amp;rsquo;t likely to yield significant long-term&lt;br /&gt;
results. It might make more sense to try a variety of low-cost outlets to find&lt;br /&gt;
something that works. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
 Small business&lt;br /&gt;
owners face a daunting task of breaking through today&amp;rsquo;s non-stop ad clutter to&lt;br /&gt;
reach buyers. Do NOT give up. There are ways to win the small business&lt;br /&gt;
advertising game. &amp;ldquo;For the average business owner, creating and placing an ad&lt;br /&gt;
is like learning a foreign language,&amp;rdquo; says marketing consultant Andrew&lt;br /&gt;
Griffiths. &amp;ldquo;But advertising works and the more time and energy you put into&lt;br /&gt;
your advertising, the greater your results will be.&amp;rdquo; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;p /&gt;
 Time, energy&lt;br /&gt;
and creative thinking are critical. You can find low-cost options in almost&lt;br /&gt;
every advertising category. While display ads in magazines and newspapers can&lt;br /&gt;
be expensive, advertising in the classified section costs less and is often&lt;br /&gt;
overlooked. Readers flock to the classifieds in many trade and specialty&lt;br /&gt;
magazines. Look for publications that specifically target your customers. Try a&lt;br /&gt;
few test ads to gauge response. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;p /&gt;
 Advertising&lt;br /&gt;
online through search engines is inexpensive and has become the single most&lt;br /&gt;
popular new advertising outlet for small business. You&amp;rsquo;ll find complete details&lt;br /&gt;
and guidelines on creating and managing pay-per-click ad campaigns at search&lt;br /&gt;
giants such as Google and Yahoo! &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;p /&gt;
 A&lt;br /&gt;
lower-cost option in the direct mail arena is postcards. They are simple,&lt;br /&gt;
timely and easy for customers to read quickly at a glance. And they are&lt;br /&gt;
considerably less expensive than typical letter-and-envelope type mailings.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;p /&gt;
 Choosing&lt;br /&gt;
the right ad medium, however, is only part of the battle. You still need to&lt;br /&gt;
create a plan for your ad program and craft a message that works. A few tips:&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;p /&gt;
 Choose&lt;br /&gt;
words and images that appeal to your customers and prompt them toDon&amp;rsquo;t&lt;br /&gt;
advertise on impulse. Create a plan; select several ad methods that can&lt;br /&gt;
support each other, and don&amp;rsquo;t give up before your ads have a chance to&lt;br /&gt;
work. Seek&lt;br /&gt;
outside assistance. Many SCORE counselors have an advertising and&lt;br /&gt;
marketing background.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;p /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;b&gt;LUCKIEST&lt;/b&gt;</description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 12 Feb 2008 15:19:13 GMT</pubDate>
      <author>LUCKIEST</author>
      <guid>http://smallbusinessonlinecommunity.bankofamerica.com/thread.jspa?messageID=16849&amp;amp;tstart=0#16849</guid>
      <dc:date>2008-02-12T15:19:13Z</dc:date>
      <clearspace:dateToText>Feb 12, 2008 10:19 AM</clearspace:dateToText>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Re: Different ways to reach the customer!</title>
      <link>http://smallbusinessonlinecommunity.bankofamerica.com/thread.jspa?messageID=16836&amp;amp;tstart=0#16836</link>
      <description>Identify first your target niche market, and then, start introducing yourself (product/service). There are many available online software that can help you manage your business. If you want more details, visit us here - &lt;a target="_blank" href="http://smallbusinessonlinecommunity.bankofamerica.com/interstitial-page.jspa?businessUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.hexcorp.com%2F&amp;referrerUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fsmallbusinessonlinecommunity.bankofamerica.com"&gt;http://www.hexcorp.com/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Thanks,&lt;br /&gt;
Mitchell</description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 12 Feb 2008 13:29:42 GMT</pubDate>
      <author>mitchell0327</author>
      <guid>http://smallbusinessonlinecommunity.bankofamerica.com/thread.jspa?messageID=16836&amp;amp;tstart=0#16836</guid>
      <dc:date>2008-02-12T13:29:42Z</dc:date>
      <clearspace:dateToText>Feb 12, 2008 8:29 AM</clearspace:dateToText>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Re: Different ways to reach the customer!</title>
      <link>http://smallbusinessonlinecommunity.bankofamerica.com/thread.jspa?messageID=16641&amp;amp;tstart=0#16641</link>
      <description>Take a look at my post here:&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
http://smallbusinessonlinecommunity.bankofamerica.com/thread/3371?tstart=0&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
This is exactly what you need.&lt;br /&gt;
Drop me an email and we can discuss this over the phone.</description>
      <pubDate>Sun, 10 Feb 2008 09:41:38 GMT</pubDate>
      <author>besonix</author>
      <guid>http://smallbusinessonlinecommunity.bankofamerica.com/thread.jspa?messageID=16641&amp;amp;tstart=0#16641</guid>
      <dc:date>2008-02-10T09:41:38Z</dc:date>
      <clearspace:dateToText>Feb 10, 2008 4:41 AM</clearspace:dateToText>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Re: Different ways to reach the customer!</title>
      <link>http://smallbusinessonlinecommunity.bankofamerica.com/thread.jspa?messageID=12574&amp;amp;tstart=0#12574</link>
      <description>Luckiest,&lt;br /&gt;
In my recent post i asked u how did u overcome the difficulty of marketing in small towns.&lt;br /&gt;
I tried to serach for strategies for marketing,but i thought they were too generalized.&lt;br /&gt;
I need some real time examples to get the clear understanding on it.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
suraj</description>
      <pubDate>Fri, 11 Jan 2008 22:26:40 GMT</pubDate>
      <author>surajsm</author>
      <guid>http://smallbusinessonlinecommunity.bankofamerica.com/thread.jspa?messageID=12574&amp;amp;tstart=0#12574</guid>
      <dc:date>2008-01-11T22:26:40Z</dc:date>
      <clearspace:dateToText>Jan 11, 2008 5:26 PM</clearspace:dateToText>
      <clearspace:replyCount>1</clearspace:replyCount>
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